Saturday morning February 9; Israeli soldiers invaded and dismantled the Canaan protest village, east of Yatta town, near Hebron, that was installed by local nonviolent activists on Palestinian lands that Israel illegally confiscated for its settlement construction and expansion activities.

Image Reprinted From raya.com

The soldiers declared the area a closed military zone after surrounding it, proceeded to attack the residents, and removed their tents.

Younis Araar, coordinator of the Nonviolent Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in the southern part of the West Bank, reported that dozens of soldiers attacked nearly 30 nonviolent activists who installed tents in the area located between Al-Baraka and At-Tawana area, and dismantled the protest village.

Similar to Bab Al-Karama tent village (Gate Of Dignity), that was installed last month by Palestinian activists on privately-owned Palestinian lands in Beit Iksa village, northwest of Jerusalem, and Bab Al-Shams Palestinian village, near the Az-Zayyim village, east of occupied East Jerusalem, Canaan village was installed to protest Israel’s illegal confiscation of Palestinian lands for the construction of settlements as part of the so-called E1 Israeli settlement project..

The soldiers invaded the Bab Al-Karama on Monday at dawn – January 21, used excessive force against the nonviolent peace activists, and demolished the protest village.

On January 15, Thousands of Israeli soldiers and policemen attacked the Bab Al-Shams Palestinian village, installed east of in occupied East Jerusalem, and forcibly removed dozens of activists loading them onto buses.

At least 11 nonviolent peace activists, and 7 reporters, have been injured when the soldiers attacked a group of activists trying to reach the Bab Al-Shams.

Last week, Israeli soldiers used force in removing another Palestinian protest village that was installed on Palestinian lands in Burin, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

LAW

“States may not deport or transfer parts of their own civilian population into a territory they occupy.”

Summary

State practice establishes this rule as a norm of customary international law applicable in international armed conflicts. International armed conflicts

The prohibition on deporting or transferring parts of a State’s own civilian population into the territory it occupies is set forth in the Fourth Geneva Convention.[1]

It is a grave breach of Additional Protocol I.[2]

Under the Statute of the International Criminal Court, “the transfer, directly or indirectly, by the Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies”constitutes a war crimein international armed conflicts.[3]

Many military manuals prohibit the deportation or transfer by a party to the conflict of parts of its civilian population into the territory it occupies.[4]

This rule is included in the legislation of numerous States.[5]

Official statements and reported practice also support the prohibition on transferring one’s own civilian population into occupied territory.[6]

Attempts to alter the demographic composition of an occupied territory have been condemned by the UN Security Council.[7]

In 1992, it called for the cessation of attempts to change the ethnic composition of the population, anywhere in the former Yugoslavia.[8]

Similarly, the UN General Assembly and UN Commission on Human Rights have condemned settlement practices.[9]

According to the final report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Dimensions of Population Transfer, including the Implantation of Settlers and Settlements, “the implantation of settlers” is unlawful and engages State responsibility and the criminal responsibility of individuals.[10]

In 1981, the 24th International Conference of the Red Cross reaffirmed that “settlements in occupied territory are incompatible with article 27 and 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention”.[11]

In the Case of the Major War Criminals in 1946, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg found two of the accused guilty of attempting the “Germanization” of occupied territories.[12]

[10] UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights, Final report of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Dimensions of Population Transfer, including the Implantation of Settlers and Settlements (ibid., § 415).

[12] International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, Case of the Major War Criminals, Judgement (ibid., § 421).

Still live in fairy-tale-land about Israel? Time to wake up: The Map of the “Greater Israel” even is hammered on the currency:All facts at Storify continuously updated. Read what Israeli ‘leaders’ have said and done even before (peace) talks and how their actions contradict the reality and ugly facts which they try to hide from you:

You can forget all details. Save yourself time. It is only about Ethnic Cleansingof Palestine